Facebook for Windows Phone 8 updated: performance boosting goodness

Today sees an update go out for the Windows Phone 8 version of Facebook. The social networking app had been significantly updated for the latest version of the OS and now we reach version 4.1.0.0.

The battle to tame Facebook and shape it into a well-performing mobile app has been a long and difficult road. Windows Phone has always done a pretty good job of it but performance has always been a sticking point. That’s not to say Facebook have been very successful mobilizing their website themselves, other platforms have seen some dreadful implementations. Can the latest version for Windows Phone 8 be “the one”? Let’s find out.

The user interface on the app hasn’t changed at all from what we can tell and to be fair that’s not a bad thing. The developers have done a good job of fully utilising the panoramic spread to allow you easy access to photos, newsfeed and your favourites. You have the ability to pin your message inbox, events and nearby places to your home screen as well as utilise photos from Facebook as a lock screen with tons of other stuff thrown in too. It’s a very rich app and if you’re big into Facebook then you’ll be in for a treat.

So what is new? Well, when they cite performance tweaks they aren’t kidding, the app now moves along on Windows Phone 8 incredibly quickly. The speed of the app now is very similar to the native OS, very fast and fluid. This is a very welcome change indeed and scrolling and panning are all very slick. When it comes to that all important user experience the app is scoring really highly here, sure there are likely some features of Facebook still missing but that will always be a moving target. For now Windows Phone 8 users now have an app that works great. Yes folks, it could be the one.

We’re still unsure why more of Facebook’s features weren’t just rolled into the excellent People Hub as that would be even better. We suspect that only minimal integration will exist and the preference will always be to brand the experience with the dedicated app. Let us know what you think of the app in the comments below.

Noted! Wpc is where i turn to first anyway..so i should quit moaning. Just wondered if it was a known issue (or not). I currently have fewer apps installed on my 920 than on my WP7.5 so it probably figures id see less update notifications...

You can't expect for everyone to receive notifications at the same time. The notification is sent all around the world. If they would send it to everyone at the same time and people would all start downloading the update at the same you would complain that the download is freezing. Normally it takes about a day for everyone to receive the notification, and it's not a bug. It's normal.

Actually, I can expect that, or rather pretty close to it. It's called push notifications. This happens with Windows Updates every month on PC's.

Now that said, I understand that WP is a bit different, and it could simply query more than once per day. There could be a simple "query on open" or "manual check" option. Heck, even the "Check Updates" in Phone Update settings could trigger a check.

This is what happens to me as well. I haven't seen a single update on the store in I can't tell you how long. I just went to the store and found some app's with updates... it's frustrating they won't just show me they have to update.

Idk, a day later after getting my 920, I received 12 update alerts at once from the store.
My only issue is that since I have a Windows vista still running on my PC, I don't know if over the air updates will be available whenever there is a new is update(I can't update any current info with my PC because 920 doesn't allow anything under win7 to work with the phone. Which is an epic FAIL)

Me too, I think it is poorly designed, and functions so slowly its barely worth using. (note I am using the WP7 version but I assume as they haven't bothered to improve the app at all for so long on WP7 that the WP8 app has the same disappointing flaws)

I still don't like it, and I've been using my 920 for a few days now and the only noticeable difference is that its faster. That's it. Nothing else has changed.
I guess it doesn't matter how fast crap comes out, its still crap. I did make the suggestion to them to upgrade the app to be more like the web site as in the form that I can share a pic directly from the app, have ease of access in the way I look for my friends page and pages that I normally look at.
Instead, I'm still having to jump through hoops, make a couple of back flips, set my self on fire and then barely be able to find the right page I'm looking for.
Sure, I can go and use fb on my ie, but in that case, what would be the point of having an app?

Off the subject, this morning I finally got to dual my Lumia 920 against my coworker's iPhone 5 camera challenge. I'm happy to say the Lumia 920's camera blasted the iPhone 5's out of the water! Best of all, they all agreed. And one of my coworker who adamant that the iPhone's camera was the sadly had nothing to say. Shots were done in a room with good lighting, with flash on, and next together taken at the same time.

I rarely use the app at all... the only feature I'd feel is "missing" from the People hub is the ability to like comments. Everything else is baked into the OS pretty well for my needs. I don't feel a need to open the app just so I can like a comment though, so I either comment or skip it.

That said, yes, actually I do use Facebook A LOT. A heck of a lot more than Twitter, that's for sure.

I even keep chat signed on 24/7 just so that messages come to my phone without opening the app. I share links from IE, pics/videos from Pictures hub, and that suits me fine.

Honestly, I can't really find something that the app offers that the OS doesn't (aside from certain tagging and liking options).

The main problem with the app is that notification just don't work. I would like only notifications for messages, but nor this one works.
Anyone know a app that can push notifications that works from Facebook? I will use it only for that and then acess site from the browser.

Logon to FB chat in the messaging hub. It will send messages to you instantly. Set your status to "Invisible" if you don't want people to see you online 24/7, although, I don't bother... I just answer when I'm good and ready.

Everyone's different. I wanted the HD screen and beats audio with slimmer profile so I went for the HTC 8X. The way the 810was shaped felt like a brick, plus the mobile reps told me they had like 5 return first day because it was buggy. The 8X has been exactly that for me from second day of launch, no bugs, no random reboots.

8x for HD screen, upgraded camera, sleek design and build quality. Don't worry about Nokia apps. They're not out of this world. You can find what you need in the Microsoft Store. If you're concerned about storage most, get the 810.

The Facebook app on WP is pretty rotten. All the things I have hidden on my normal feed like game requests and crap always show up on the app. The mobile site is the best option for now. Maybe this new version will work better.

Photo section is bugged, I have one l920 with the new version and one with the old version and the new version when you view a photo it gets glitchy. I then updated the old version and that one also does it

OMG I still don't understand why so much moaning .I think this app is great ,it's really fast and it shows all my Facebook content ,only notification system has to be fixed ,but everything else is fantastic.

I keep getting pissed at the FB app when scrolling through my feed. Sometimes it will refresh and kick me back to the top, requiring me to scroll way down again. It's annoying as hell, even moreso when all the blocked games and crap aren't filtered out.

Was hopping in to say the same thing. Every time I look at a post I get sent back to the top of my feed. Notifications Just open the app instead if the post. The newsfeed is faster but the notifications screen is obnoxiously slow. The screens they chose for swiping are unimaginative (why not ur friend list). You can't like a post from the feed, you have to click the post first. The ui is junky and feels like a lot if space is wasted.

This is the best news I have heard since purchasing my 920.
The current Windows Phone Facebook App is just AWFUL in virtually every measurement. I felt it was the weak link in some otherwise STELLAR app selections. Poor touch responsiveness, unable to clear notifications, and buggy. Hopefully, MSFT will not stop here and continue to improve the app until it is the best mobile Facebook experience.

One tweak I found that's nice is when u click the notification icon, then click on a notification, when u hit the back button you now go back to the notification lust so u can check the next notification, instead of returning to the home screen and having to re-enter the notification area. That used to drive me nuts.

Come on men WP Facebook app is the best!! I don't know what you al complaining about it..its different from any one out there..i dont use it.true its missing a lot of functionality but it's not bad..it will get better..be patient..

Installed the update this morning and my Nokia 920 locked up for the first time having to do a soft reset to get it working again. The problem occured repeatedly either crashing the app or locking up the phone while scrolling down the wall looking at the news feed. The problem seems to be a long post with about 413 words in it causing it to crash. The feed reads fine on a pc. Every time I read this post it hangs up. Hopefully someone from Microsoft will get this bug report as it definitely is the long post causing it on my phone at least. The post also has a picture with it of a poisonous spider found in the US for the first time that supposedly killed several people in Florida.

My big problems with it still exist. You can't follow links in posts, you can't search, and if you open up a picture or status from someone then hit the back button the news feed refreshes and kicks you back to the top of the feed. The speed did improve slightly but that was never an issue for me to begin with.

Too bad it still crashes on me. I'd say about once a week it'll just stop working. When I go to launch the app it'll play the animation for launching, then immediately animate back to the Start screen. Only way to fix it is to uninstall/reinstall.

How are you guys only using the People hub? You can't even see who liked your posts. That is basic functionality. Sure you can check each like notification and see which post it takes you too, but that is a ridiculous workaround.

Hi everyone, can somebody help me a little. I have HTC 8S. I've downloaded the facebook app from the Store but i can't log in. The email and password are correct but it keeps telling me "Log in failed, try again later"
If someone is having the same problem or had pls tell me what is the problem.

Life keeps going...love is meaningful and it means something special...but happiness is the key to making your dreams come true...if you dont have love and if you dont have happiness you'll never find a reason to keep living life...but as I said. life goes on...either with you or without you.